The document services framework "..replaces a surrogate foreign key (SFK) with the natural key for a specific table relationship."

A simple example is the ContactForParty field in the DirContactPersonsService. This field in the ContactPerson table has an EDT of DirPartyRecId, but an error will occur if you attempt something like this...

This won't work with a recId value, because the service will determine that ContactForParty is a surrogate foreign key and will look for the natural (replacement) key on DirPartyTable. The replacement key on DirPartyTable is PartyNumberIdx, so what we need to pass in via the service is the PartyNumber.

The concept seems pretty simple in this example, but it can become more complex when the replacement key is itself a surrogate foreign key. The WorkerSalesResponsible field in SalesTable is one such example.

WorkerSalesResponsible is a SFK referring to HcmWorker.

The HcmWorker table has a replacement key of Person (HcmWorker_AK1)

Person is itself a SFK referring to DirPerson.

DirPerson extends DirPartyTable, and the replacement key on DirPartyTable is again, PartyNumberIdx.

So we finally have the natural key we need. To import data into the WorkerSalesResponsible field via the SalesSalesOrderService we need to use a valid PartyNumber.

This applies to the document services framework, so if you are using AIF document data sources in the Excel Add-in then yes, this concept would apply in that case.

Sanogo Mohamed

5 Mar 2015 1:57 AM

Hi Laura,

First i want said thank you for your post and also,i would like to apologize for my English. Because i'm French.

Actually i have a troubleshooting with the replacement of the SFK by a natural key by using document service Framework.

The use case is the following :

I try to update the ledger general service by adding new field in the ledgerJournalTable and query axdLedgerGeneralJournal. One of the field that i add is the SFK on RecId of the table OMOperatingUnit. The replacement Key of Table OMOperatingUnit is OMOperatingUnitNumber. When i update the Ledger General Service document, in the data contract class ledgeGeneralJournal_LedgerJournalTable the input parameter of the parm method of my field "omoperatingUnit" doesn't replace by the naturalkey OMOperatingUnitNumber. Instead i have the OMOperatingUnitRefRecId.